Potter takes the stand in her manslaughter trial

If you're having trouble viewing this email, you may [see it online](. [Star Tribune]( Talkers EDITOR'S NOTE: Talkers is taking a break for the holidays starting Monday, but it will return in 2022. Happy holidays and thanks to all of you for reading! TOP STORIES - Potter takes the stand in her manslaughter trial: Kimberly Potter [took the stand in her own defense Friday]( and recalled the moments on April 11, when "it just went chaotic" before realizing she shot Daunte Wright with her handgun and not her Taser as he resisted arrest. Also under defense questioning by defense attorney Earl Gray, Potter recounted as other witnesses had earlier in the trial about why the traffic stop was initiated and the roles of Luckey and Johnson at the scene. - U's Humphrey School ordered to better prevent sexual harassment: The University of Minnesota's Humphrey School of Public Affairs must take specific actions to prevent sexual harassment and pay a graduate student who was harassed by her professor $75,000, part of [a settlement reached with the state Department of Human Rights.]( - Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson pleads guilty to misdemeanor drunken-driving offense: Hennepin County Sheriff Dave Hutchinson [pleaded guilty Thursday to a misdemeanor charge of drunken driving]( and said he is enrolled in an outpatient treatment program to address his issues with alcohol. Hutchinson crashed his SUV at 2:30 a.m. Dec. 8 on Interstate 94 near Alexandria after attending a state sheriffs conference. - Minnesota's COVID-19 case rate falls as delta wave surges in the Northeast: COVID-19 hospitalizations and cases continue to decline in Minnesota, according to a data update Friday, but the state still has a high level of coronavirus transmission and [little critical care capacity to treat the sickest patients.]( Health officials on Thursday warned that Minnesota hospitals are swamped and that any further uptick in viral transmissions and patients could overwhelm them. COVID and non-COVID patients took up all but 18 of 1,012 available adult ICU beds on Thursday. - Frey vows to bolster police staffing, counter wave of youth-driven robberies and violence: Young offenders are primarily responsible for the wave of armed carjackings in Minneapolis, Mayor Jacob Frey and Deputy Police Chief Amelia Huffman said Thursday, laying out their response to one of the city's most violent years on record. Frey said [the city will try to quickly replace the one-third of officers lost to attrition]( over the last couple of years. In lieu of a fully staffed Police Department, he said the city will continue to rely on mutual-aid relationships with other law enforcement agencies. - Investigation into Ramsey County human resources finds pay inequities, other problems: The Ramsey County Human Resources Department was supposed to lead efforts to ensure pay equity and improve the overall experience for employees of Minnesota's second-largest county. But an outside law firm hired last year to conduct a "culture investigation" into the 55-person department [unearthed problems including a perceived "hostile work environment,"]( concerns about pay inequities and feelings by employees of color that they are micromanaged and treated differently than their peers. - A pair of North Side nonprofits buys Thor-built center in $10M deal: The Regional Acceleration Center, completed in 2018, signaled good jobs and an improving economy on the near North Side of Minneapolis. Thor Construction built the center and was its flagship tenant before it failed with debt and cost overruns amid lawsuits in early 2019, leaving the $14 million project in peril. [Now it has a new owner rooted in local commerce and community](, writes Neal St. Anthony. - How did Minnesota get its name? Long before Minnesota was a state, [the name referred to a major body of water]( in the area. WATCH THIS This three-minute, single-shot drone fly-through of a Swiss university is incredible: If you liked those cinematic drone videos showcasing Minneapolis' [Bryant Lake Bowl]( and [the Glensheen Mansion]( in Duluth, [this FPV (first-person view) footage from the Akademie St. Gallen]( in Switzerland takes that concept to the next level. Talk to us! Send feedback on this newsletter, questions, story tips, ideas or anything else to [talkers@startribune.com](. TRENDING - With gift card scams on the rise, Target is a big name that keeps popping up: While gift cards might be simple to buy, [there are plenty of gotchas to consider along the way]( and yes, warnings about crime rings running scams. - Michele Tafoya may be leaving "Sunday Night Football" sidelines: Michele Tafoya's time on the NFL sidelines [may be coming to an end.]( According to the New York Post, the Edina-based reporter's role on NBC's "Sunday Night Football" will be changing after the network airs Super Bowl LVI in February 2022. Tafoya, who previously covered the NFL for ABC and ESPN, could not be reached for comment. She triggered some controversy last month when she pushed back against critical race theory and defended anti-vaxxers while co-hosting "The View" on ABC. - The 5 best things our food writers ate this week: From Pappardelle with mushroom bolognese to crawdad po' boys, [here's a rundown of the greatest hits]( from their dining diaries over the past seven days. SPORTS ROUNDUP - Vikings' Bradbury assesses struggles, could be benched if Darrisaw returns: Rookie left tackle Christian Darrisaw [was a limited participant in practice on Thursday](, which receiver Adam Thielen and linebacker Eric Kendricks sat out. - With early results in, Johnson looks like a winning U hire: Ben Johnson getting the Minnesota men's basketball coaching job last spring made all kinds of sense. Ten games in, Johnson's team is 9-1 and proving believers correct, [writes Jim Souhan.]( - An outdoor life, now passed, was more than just the hunt: Steve Grooms was an outdoor writer, a description that for him was too confining. He could have written about anything. [But nature was the lens through which he saw the world.]( Did someone forward this newsletter to you? You can [sign up for Talkers here](. WORTH A CLICK The American addiction to speeding: "The nation's most disobeyed law is dysfunctional from top to bottom. The speed limit is alternately too low on interstate highways, giving police discretion to make stops at will, and too high on local roads, creating carnage on neighborhood streets. Enforcement is both inadequate and punitive. The cost is enormous. And the lack of political will to do something about it tracks with George Carlin's famous observation that everybody going faster than you is a maniac and everybody going slower than you is an idiot. The consensus is: Enforce the speed limit. But not on me, please," [writes Henry Grabar for Slate.]( FROM THE ARCHIVES Dec. 17, 2019: Child-life specialist Anna Dressel left, and Rocket the therapy dog visited Abby Werness, 16, of Buffalo, Minn., in her room at the M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Masonic Children's Hospital in Minneapolis. Rocket has been trained to stay with kids and keep them calm through medical procedures. (Photo: Jerry Holt/Star Tribune) Connect with Star Tribune [facebook]([twitter]([pinterest]([instagram]( [Manage email preferences]( • [Subscribe to Star Tribune]( • [Privacy Policy]( • [Unsubscribe]( This email was sent by: StarTribune, 650 3rd Ave S, Suite #1300, Minneapolis, MN, 55488 © 2021 StarTribune. All rights reserved. We value your opinion! [Give us your feedback.](